A Separate Peace
By: John Knowles
Have you ever wanted to read a book that truly dives into the concept of friendship and shows you what jealousy can drive a person to do? If either of those are of your interest then "A Separate Peace" is the book you should be reading.
"A Separate Peace" is a highly engaging story about two boys living at Devon prep school in 1944. It brings in drama that makes the characters feel real and relatable. This book shows the point of view of young boys during World War 2. It truly shows us how strong emotions can be, and what it can lead us to do. Due to that the main character, Gene, seems all the more real. The story is told through Gene's eyes, and shows how he changes throughout the story, leading up to 15 years after he graduates. The book deals with the topics of friendship, jealousy, and change.
People have said that the book is "boring", "dull", or "drags on", but I disagree with all those statements. The book is highly engaging, and has a very interesting story. It doesn't have much action, but what it lacks in action, it makes up for in interesting characters and a well-developed plot. The book really is about something simple, two boys living at a prep school. For some that plot sounds boring and are dismissive towards. Also if those same people try to read the book they say the book's plot moves too slowly. I truly do not think thats true. I believe the book reflects the lifestyle of Gene and Finny. Their life was dedicated to school, so most days must have been slow for them. The authors decision to make teh beginning slow is very well thought out. A majority of the people that have read the book agree with me. On amazon it has 42% 5 star ratings. This is a book that truly captures the internal struggle us human beings have on even a daily basis.A relatable, extraordinary book sounds much better than some fast-paced, action filled book,doesn't it?
The book isn't something to be dismissed or just skim over. Many people do that while reading and it isn't a good way to understand the book, thus causing people to dislike the novel due to their confusion. The books ratings are enough to show that this is worth reading. On amazon it has 42% 5 stars, as stated above, 26% 4 stars, 12% 3 stars, 8% 2 stars, and 12% 2 stars. 5 and 4 stars have the highest numbers. And many of the reasons people gave it less than that are reasons that i countered above. What would be better than sitting down with a cup of tea, reading this relaxing and thoughtful book? You can let yourself indulge in the emotions and the plot. The emotions, internal conflict, and drama in teh novel is what makes it stand out, You can truly feel and understand Gene's emotions and he feels real. That is what is needed in order to make a good novel, a relatable main character.
This is truly an extraordinary book that is worth reading. The themes of the book, change, friendship, and jealousy, are so simple, yet John Knowles can make a whole novel based on those 3 things. If you don't read and enjoy this novel, you are missing out on something amazing and can even change your perspective about somethings. Buy this book, read this book, analyze this book, and enjoy this book.